DESIGN YOUR PLAN, PART 3 - THOMAS EDISON STATE COLLEGE

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: BEFORE FOLLOWING ANY DEGREE PLAN, MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMPARED IT TO CURRENT DEGREE REQUIREMENTS THROUGH THE SCHOOL. HOMESCHOOL COLLEGE USA CANNOT GUARANTEE ANY PLAN WILL BE ACCEPTED. (Speaking with an Academic Advisor at your school of choice is ALWAYS recommended.)

TESC & LEAP or “Why Did You Have to Make Things so Complicated?”

One of the formerly great things about TESC was their well-balanced approach to general education. You needed the typical 6 credits in English 101 & 102 (of some form), plus 12 credits in humanities, 12 credits in social sciences, 12 credits in natural sciences and mathematics, and 18 electives from these same categories (minus the English part, obviously). Now? In an incomprehensible bid to align themselves with a clearly politically-driven organization*, they've over-complicated a once brilliantly simple system and the end result is the additional need for 9 credits in ethics and diversity, with science and mathematics getting the short shrift. While a student may choose to take more courses in maths and sciences, he is now only required to earn 3 credits in each. A four-year degree with only 6 credits in natural sciences and mathematics is not by any means a balanced degree, especially as that science can be an introductory computer science course, and math can be Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics. Remember, maths and sciences utilize and develop logic and critical thinking skills in ways other courses do not. I highly encourage you to choose some as your electives, even though you don't have to, because you shouldn't shortchange your own education, whether it's “acceptable” or not. The new LEAP requirements are broken down into “competencies.” These can be met in a variety of ways. In some cases, one course/exam may count toward more than one category, so you will see some repetitions on this list. Just note, even though a certain course or exam could fulfill two requirements, it is still only worth the same amount of credits. (In other words, you can't count the credits twice.) Oh, and if you do the math, you're going to realize it comes out wrong. Add all the credits required in the following competencies and you come up with 42. However, the TESC website states that students will complete 60 general education credits. It also says this:

“Some of these credits must fulfill specific category requirements and others allow students to tailor their general education experience to their own needs and interests.”

This means the remaining 18 credits can come from any general education category. Just remember, general education credits come from these competencies in some way. Other courses/exams may not apply and would instead be free electives.*Yes. I know it's the Association of American Colleges and Universities. You would think, then, that they would know better, but apparently not. You can spend a few hours researching the LEAP program and see for yourself that this is a thoroughly biased organization. (In particular, download their PowerPoint presentation and read each slide carefully. It's a real eye-opener.) The following is not an exhaustive list. For instance, you can choose to take courses through any regionally accredited colleges or universities, online or on campus. You just want to make sure that if you do that they will align with these requirements. Also, until (or if ever) Thomas Edison releases a definitive list of exams to meet the new requirements, there may be some missing from this list. So grab your pen and notebook, read over this list, and start writing down some exams or courses you might be interested in to fulfill your gen eds. Remember, some of these things will cover more than one category. That's fine. Just make sure you have something written down for each competency's required credits, even if it is a repeat across categories.

AP English Language and Composition (6 credits; also covers English Composition 2)

StraighterLine English Composition 1

Penn Foster English Composition

3 credits of Writing Intensive Coursework (English Composition 2):

Any of the above exams that already cover this area

TECEP English Composition 2

StraighterLine English Composition 2

Mathematics:

ALEKS Intermediate Algebra

ALEKS College Algebra

ALEKS PreCalculus

ALEKS Statistics

CLEP College Mathematics (6 credits)

CLEP College Algebra

CLEP PreCalculus

CLEP Calculus

DSST Fundamentals of College Algebra

DSST Principles of Statistics

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus BC (6 credits)

AP Statistics

ECE/UExcel Calculus

ECE/UExcel Statistics

Udacity Introduction to Statistics

TECEP Applied Liberal Arts Mathematics

TECEP College Algebra

TECEP Statistics

StraighterLine College Algebra

StraighterLine PreCalculus

StraighterLine General Calculus 1

StraighterLine General Calculus 2

StraighterLine Business Statistics

6 credits of Competency 1 electives: Along with any of the above math courses, you can pick up these 6 credits using the following -

DSST Public Speaking

DSST Technical Writing

DSST Introduction to Computing

DSST Management Information Systems

TECEP Public Relations & Practice

TECEP Technical Writing

TECEP Introduction to News Reporting

TECEP Network Technology

TECEP Marketing Communications

CLEP Information Systems & Computer Applications

ECE Workplace Communication with Computers

ECE Interpersonal Communication

AP Computer Science A

Udacity Introduction to Computer Science

Udacity Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

StraighterLine Business Communications

StraighterLine Introduction to Communications

Saylor Corporate Communications

Competency 2: Human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in areas including the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts (18 credits) Institutional outcomes include Scientific Reasoning expanded to include Social Sciences Reasoning and Humanities ReasoningExamples include courses in the sciences, social sciences, humanities including interdisciplinary courses ENS-314 Global Environmental Change, HIS-356 War and American Society and PHI-370 Philosophy of Religion. The requirements are: 3 credits Social Sciences 3 credits Natural Sciences 3 credits Humanities 9 credits of Human cultures and the physical world electivesSocial Sciences (3 credits needed):

CLEP Principles of Macroeconomics

CLEP Principles of Microeconomics

CLEP Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648

CLEP Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present

CLEP History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877

CLEP History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present

CLEP American Government

CLEP Introductory Psychology

CLEP Human Growth and Development

CLEP Introduction to Educational Psychology

CLEP Introductory Sociology

CLEP Social Sciences and History (6 credits)

DSST General Anthropology

DSST Money and Banking

DSST Human/Cultural Geography

DSST Western Europe since 1945

DSST The Civil War and Reconstruction

DSST An Introduction to the Modern Middle East

DSST A History of the Vietnam War

DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union

DSST Lifespan Developmental Psychology

DSST Organizational Behavior

DSST Substance Abuse

TECEP Introduction to Political Science

TECEP Psychology of Women

TECEP Marriage and the Family

AP Macroeconomics

AP Microeconomics

AP Human Geography

AP European History (6 credits)

AP US History (6 credits)

AP World History (6 credits)

AP Comparative Government and Politics

AP US Government and Politics

AP Psychology

ECE Introduction to Macroeconomics

ECE Introduction to Microeconomics

ECE/UExcel Political Science

ECE Abnormal Psychology

ECE/UExcel Introduction to Psychology

ECE Lifespan Developmental Psychology

ECE Psychology of Adulthood and Aging

ECE Research Methods in Psychology

ECE Social Psychology

ECE Cultural Diversity

ECE Juvenile Delinquency

ECE World Conflicts Since 1900

ECE World Populations

StraighterLine US History 1

StraighterLine US History 2

StraighterLine Cultural Anthropology

StraighterLine Western Civilization 1

StraighterLine Western Civilization 2

StraighterLine Introduction to Psychology

StraighterLine Introduction to Sociology

StraighterLine American Government

Saylor Introduction to Western Political Thought

Natural Sciences (3 credits needed):

CLEP Biology (6 credits)

CLEP Chemistry (6 credits)

CLEP Natural Sciences (6 credits)

CLEP Information Systems & Computer Applications

DSST Astronomy

DSST Environment and Humanity: Race to Save the Planet

DSST Physical Geology

DSST Principles of Physical Science 1

DSST Introduction to Computing

DSST Management Information Systems

AP Environmental Science

AP Biology (6 credits)

AP Chemistry (6 credits)

AP Physics B (6 credits)

AP Physics C/Electricity & Magnetism

AP Physics C/Mechanics

AP Computer Science A

ECE Earth Science

ECE/UExcel Physics (6 credits)

TECEP The Science of Nutrition

Udacity Introduction to Physics

StraighterLine Biology

StraighterLine Biology with Lab (4 credits)

StraighterLine General Chemistry 1

StraighterLine General Chemistry 1 with Lab (4 credits)

StraighterLine General Physics 1

StraighterLine General Physics 1 with Lab (4 credits)

StraighterLine General Physics 2

StraighterLine General Physics 2 with Lab (4 credits)

StraighterLine Environmental Science

Humanities (3 credits needed):

CLEP French (6 – 12 credits)

CLEP Spanish (6 – 12 credits)

CLEP German (6 – 12 credits)

CLEP English Literature (6 credits)

CLEP American Literature (6 credits)

CLEP Analyzing and Interpreting Literature (6 credits)

CLEP Humanities (6 credits)

DSST Art of the Western World

DSST Principles of Public Speaking

DSST Technical Writing

DSST Ethics in America

DSST Business Ethics and Society

DSST Introduction to World Religions

AP Art History (6 credits)

AP Chinese Language (6 credits)

AP French Language (6 credits)

AP German Language (6 credits)

AP Italian Language (6 credits)

AP Japanese Language (6 credits)

AP Latin (6 credits)

AP Spanish (6 credits)

AP English Literature and Composition (6 credits)

AP Music Theory

TECEP Public Relations & Practice

TECEP Technical Writing

TECEP Introduction to News Reporting

TECEP Marketing Communications

ECE Introduction to Music

ECE Introduction to Philosophy

ECE Ethics Theory and Practice

ECE Bio-Ethics: Philosophical Issues

ECE Business Ethics

ECE Interpersonal Communications

Saylor Corporate Communications

Saylor Business Law and Ethics

StraighterLine Introduction to Philosophy

StraighterLine Introduction to Religion

StraighterLine Spanish 1

StraighterLine Spanish 2

StraighterLine Business Communications

StraighterLine Introduction to Communications

Penn Foster Art Appreciation

Penn Foster Music Appreciation

9 credits of Competency 2 electives: Choose any 9 credits from Competency 2.Competency 3: Personal and Social Responsibility (9 credits) Institutional Outcomes include: Diversity/Global Literacy and Responsible Global Leadership, Lifelong LearningExamples include courses SOC-322 Cultural Diversity, COM-335 Intercultural Communication, PHI-384 Ethics and the Business Professional The requirements are: 3 credits Diversity/Global Literacy 3 credits Responsible Ethical Leadership 3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives Okay, this is the odd-ball category. I say this because there doesn't seem to be a completely clear explanation for what fits here. You can get the general idea, but if you look at the list of online courses that TESC accepts in this competency, you'll see that even Introduction to Sociology applies.So, for Diversity/Global Literacy (3 credits needed):

CLEP Introduction to Sociology

DSST Introduction to the Modern Middle East

DSST General Anthropology

DSST Human/Cultural Geography

DSST Introduction to World Religions

DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union**

TECEP Marriage and Family

ECE Cultural Diversity

ECE World Populations

StraighterLine Introduction to Religion

StraighterLine Cultural Anthropology

StraighterLine Introduction to Sociology

** If you want to use this particular exam here, confirm it first with the school. Based on their course list for this category, it certainly seems like this one would fit.Responsible Ethical Leadership (3 credits needed):

DSST Business Ethics & Society

DSST Ethics in America

ECE Business Ethics

ECE Ethics Theory and Practice

ECE Bio-Ethics: Philosophical Issues

Saylor Business Law and Ethics

3 credits of Personal and Social Responsibility electives: Anything from this competency. Just make sure you aren't duplicating any credits.Competency 4: Integrative and Applied Learning, including synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies (integrated throughout general education and capstone courses) Institutional outcomes include Critical Analysis and ReasoningThis competency will be demonstrated across interdisciplinary general education courses as well as in the area of study and capstone courses.

(In other words, you don't really have to concern yourself with Competency 4.) All right. Now that you've chosen the courses/exams you will use to meet all the competencies, you need to total up how many credits you have so far. Subtract that from 60, then go back and look at all those options above and decide what other courses/exams you'll take in order to have the 60-credit total for your general education requirements.

Next, let's look at Free Electives. Free electives are just what you would think. Pretty much anything goes here. If it's a course taken through a regionally accredited school, an exam from an approved company/college, or an ACE-approved class, you can apply it here, even if it's one, like the DSST Here's to Your Health exam, that isn't considered a liberal arts course and so won't go anywhere in the general education category. You need 27 credits in all here and you can knock out the bulk of them with FEMA courses, if you like. Beyond FEMA, you can look at the CLEP and DSST exam pages on the TESC website to get some ideas for your options. Don't forget about StraighterLine, too.

Jot down your ideas for your 27 free elective credits, with maybe a few alternatives, in case you change your mind.

This brings us to determining your actual area of study. With some exceptions (most notably in the business degrees), you are going to need 33 credits, 18 of which should be upper-level. The required capstone takes care of 3 upper-level credits, so what you need to work out is 30 credits, half of which must be upper-level. Also note that in many cases, only 2 courses in your area of study can be on the 100 level.

So, just like with COSC, let's put together a sample degree plan. In this case, we'll be looking at a BA in Liberal Studies.

THOMAS EDISON - BA IN LIBERAL STUDIES PLAN

General Education Credits (60)

CLEP College Composition (6 credits)

ALEKS Intermediate Algebra (3 credits)

ALEKS College Algebra (3 credits)

Saylor Corporate Communications (3 credits)

CLEP Social Sciences and History (6 credits)

CLEP Humanities (6 credits)

CLEP Biology (6 credits)

CLEP Introductory Sociology (3 credits)

DSST General Anthropology (3 credits)

Saylor Business Law and Ethics (3 credits)

ALEKS PreCalculus (3 credits)

ALEKS Statistics (3 credits)

Saylor Introduction to Western Political Thought (3 credits)

CLEP Introductory Psychology (3 credits)

DSST Introduction to Computing (3 credits)

DSST Human/Cultural Geography (3 credits)

Free Electives (27)

FEMA Independent Study Courses (24 credits)

DSST Here's to Your Health (3 credits)

AREA OF STUDY (33)

CLEP Analyzing & Interpreting Literature (6 credits)

CLEP Natural Sciences (6 credits)

CLEP Human Growth and Development (3 credits)

DSST Organizational Behavior (3 upper-level credits)

DSST Substance Abuse (3 upper-level credits)

DSST An Introduction to the Modern Middle East (3 upper-level credits)

DSST A History of the Vietnam War (3 upper-level credits)

DSST Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (3 upper-level credits)

TESC Liberal Arts Capstone (3 upper-level credits)

There we go. A TESC BA in Liberal Studies plan. You've got 4 ALEKS courses, 3 Saylor courses, 24 credits in FEMA courses, 18 CLEP/DSST exams, and your TESC capstone. If you paid for a year of ALEKS (many people can finish faster than that) upfront, that's $180. If you pay the $25 fee to have your Saylor finals proctored online, that's $75. If you budget $120 per CLEP/DSST exam, for cost of exam, testing center fee, and some money to pay for a prep book per subject, that's $2160. The various fees and costs of TESC, including application, graduation, and out-of-state tuition for the capstone works out to about $4100. Your total is $6515. Because I like to estimate conservatively, since fees and things seem to rise every year, I would budget closer to $8000 for this particular degree plan. If that seems like a lot, break it down this way. $225 a month for 3 years would pay for this degree, without scholarships, discounts, grants or any kind of loan. A student who plans to take 4 years to finish his degree could live and study at home, and work part time, saving up enough money over three years to be able to pay for everything.

Most other degrees will cost more, because you will need to use other methods of getting your area of study credits, including online courses and Prior Learning Assessments. In any case, you can follow the above steps to putting together your own degree plan, and get started even if you haven't decided on an actual major yet.